District Partners
by Zoe Renee
Summary: He knew Clove loved her knife more than anything in the world. It was the only thing she really cared about. So when she pressed the knife into his hand during her final moments, he knew he meant much more to her than just a district partner. Cato/Clove


**Disclaimer:** I do not own The Hunger Games :(

* * *

><p>There was something about that knife.<p>

To him, and to anyone else in the district, it was just another knife. But to her, by the way she treasured it like it was her one true love, he knew it was so much more.

Being Clove, he knew that she didn't the care about most things all that much. He wasn't saying she was a heartless bitch like many people in the district viewed her, but that was just the way she worked. She didn't become too attached to things for a reason. Because she didn't want to lose them.

Just like her mother.

But this knife obviously was an exception.

He remembered taking it from her the first time they had met. He had waved it teasingly above her head, before she lunged at him and threatened to rip out his throat with her teeth. And he had no doubt in his mind that she would.

But the look in her eyes when he handed it back to her had got him. Absolute and utter relief had shone in her green eyes. And he would admit, he would be relieved as well if his weapon had been given back to him, but this was different. She looked at the blade like it was her whole life.

He passed it off as nothing at first. Maybe he had looked too closely, started making things up in his head. He had always had a vivid imagination. But when she had plunged the knife into an older kids arm as he tried to take it away from her, he knew it was more than just another weapon to her.

He had asked her one day when they were in the woods, practicing their training. He considered themselves friends, or as close you could be to a friend with Clove. Which was her not threatening to tear out his throat. Too often.

She had swallowed loudly and twiddled her thumbs before showing him the base of the blade. There, in swirly, very un-Clove handwriting, were the initials _L.G._Lochett Gavranich. Her mother.

He had choked and spluttered because it made so much sense. Of course the only thing in the world that Clove cared about had belonged to the only person in the world who she had cared about. Before her father had killed her, obviously.

He had tried to comfort her as her voice went shaky and her eyes went glossy, but she had pushed him away. He tried to tell her that it was ok, that they were friends, but she had glared and told him that they were nothing but district partners at the most.

He had sighed as he had walked away from her tear stained face.

It had been the first time she had called what they had that. _District partners._

* * *

><p>He had watched helplessly as the peacekeeper snatched the knife from her hands and another dragged her screaming form to the car.<p>

She was reaped, and he had instantly volunteered. They were district partners after all, she had said so herself. And he didn't know why, but he couldn't imagine her going into the arena without someone to protect her.

She had smirked at the cameras as they boarded the train, intimidation was like a second nature to both of them, but he didn't fail to notice how her form seemed to tremble with every step she took.

He had held her in her compartment that night as her tears soaked his shirt. She had refused to make eye contact with him or even remove her head from his chest. He knew that she didn't want him to see her so weak, and he was happy with that.

He had slept in her bed with her that night, holding her frail body tightly until she had stopped trembling and her breathing returned to an even pace.

He had stared at her across the table the next morning until she glared at him and hissed that they were just district partners.

He had heard her let out a final strangled sob when no one was there.

* * *

><p>The training centre had been a joke. He had been training for this since he could lift a sword, so all he had to was stand there and intimidate the weaker competition.<p>

Clove, on the other hand, had had problems with the knives. They all still hit the target dead centre every time, but everything seemed too forced, and he knew she craved her mother's knife.

When he had approached her, she had snarled at him to go away, that they were just district partners.

He had walked away, muttering about how district partners could go shove itself up a very unmentionable place.

The smile on her lips was so small he almost didn't see it.

Almost.

* * *

><p>He had smiled as he picked up the knife in the arena and called out to her. She had glared at him before finally approaching him.<p>

When she had been within 10 meters of him, her eyes had fixed on the knife and she had let out a very un-Clove like squeal of excitement.

She had practically leaped towards him, taking the knife in her hands and twirling it around like it was her only child.

She had continued to hold it close to her chest and blinked back tears, her bottom lip trembling slightly. She had allowed him to pull her close and had buried her face into his chest, arms looping around his neck and chocking the life out of him, the knife still dangling from her fingers.

Then she had done the most unexpected of things. She had lifted herself up on tippy toes, kissed his cheek ever so lightly and breathed a thank you into his ear.

When she had finally pulled away though, she had hissed at him her two new favourite words, district partners, and had walked away muttering about how if he had of found the knife early, maybe she could of gotten rid of fire girl already.

He had growled and kicked a mound of dirt, but had noticed how she slept with a small smile on her face that night.

* * *

><p>When he had flirted with Glimmer, however, she had worn the most murderous expression that he had ever seen, even for Clove.<p>

He had known she was jealous. Anyone could tell, so he had let her think up her hundreds of ways to kill the dumb blonde while he watched.

When Glimmer had fallen asleep that night, her arm draped across his chest, he had turned his head to face her, curled up in a ball around her knife, fingers absentmindedly tracing the carved initials, still awake.

She had glared at him, well not really at him, but more at the small hand laying just below his shoulder. Following her gaze, he had smirked before asking her if she was jealous.

She had scoffed, stating that they were, of course, merely district partners. But she still continued to glare at the hand.

He had asked her if she wanted to him to remove the hand, but she had let out a wicked laugh and scowled at him before stating that she was going to sleep.

He had gently removed the arm anyway, and scooted away from Glimmer slightly before stretching his arms behind his head and closing his eyes.

She had peeked one eye open to watch the display, and slept with a smile on her face.

* * *

><p>When the announcement had come, he had pulled her close without thinking, and she had hugged him back, knife never leaving her fingers, head buried deep into his chest.<p>

They had stayed like that for what seemed like days, before she had pulled away and hissed that they were just district partners, but both had smiled because now they could be so much more than that.

Now they could keep each other.

So he had kissed her, and she had struggled at first because he knew she had never allowed herself to get to attached things in fear of losing them. But she had eventually melted, with tears streaming down her face, and kissed him back.

He had known she was breaking, that he shouldn't have been doing this, because here of all places was the last place to start becoming attached to things. But he couldn't help it.

* * *

><p>So now, as he stood over her trembling form, green eyes glazed over and looking towards the sky, he felt himself breaking.<p>

He sunk to his knees beside her, taking her trembling hand in his and promising her that it would be ok, that she was going to pull through.

But he watched as her chest rose and fell so slowly, like every breath was a major struggle, and knew that it wasn't going to be ok. So he kissed her palm, tears stinging in his eyes, and looked at her pale face.

With every breath she was moaning, and the dint in her skull was so horrible, so ugly against her beautiful face, and he let out a strangled sob.

She looked at him as he helplessly let the tears fall from his eyes. He can imagine the words falling from her lips, district partners, but he knew that she didn't have the strength.

She moaned his name as she let out a breath, and he instantly gave her his complete attention. Lifting her other frail hand, which was holding her knife, she reached across her body, hesitating slightly, even in her state, and handed it to him.

He knew Clove loved her knife more than anything in the world. It was the only thing she really cared about. So when she pressed the knife into his hand during her final moments, he knew he meant much more to her than just a district partner.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Man, I am just on a roll lately.

I always imagined Clove having a special knife.

I also always imagined her motherless.

And I always imagined her telling Cato that they were 'District Partners'

I wanted to write something about a knife, and I wanted write something about said district partners. So I mixed them together and got this.

If you don't like it, that's fine, because personally, I don't like it either, it's like I can't make up my mind on which write about so it's just a muddled up mess.

Blah.

But I really wanted to post it because I'm going on a cruise tomorrow :D

I'm super excited, but it means that I probably won't be able to post a story for ages. But I'll be working on this two shot I have in mind called 'Weapons' which will hopefully be ready to post by the time I get back.

Besides, I'm taking The Hunger Games with me and I plan on reading it again, because I haven't read it for a while (lol, like a month) and so I'll have plenty of guidance to keep both of them in character. :)

Besides, I already have the first paragraph written ;)

If my cruise ship sinks unexpectedly, you'll have to make it up yourselves :)

Review my lovelies 3

Zoe Renee xxx


End file.
